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Parents' Guide to

MapleStory M

By Neilie Johnson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 6+

Cute tale adds auto-play to repetitive, cash-focused action.

App iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad , Android Free Role-Playing Games
MapleStory M Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this app.

  • MapleStory M App - Screenshot #1
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Privacy Rating Warning

  • Unclear whether personal information is sold or rented to third parties.
  • Personal information is shared for third-party marketing.
  • Personalised advertising is displayed.
  • Data are collected by third-parties for their own purposes.
  • User's information is used to track and target advertisements on other third-party websites or services.
  • Data profiles are created and used for personalised advertisements.
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What’s It About?

MAPLESTORY M is a freemium MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game) set in the magical Maple World where noble Cygnus Knights work to defeat the infamous Black Mage. Players create a custom character, choosing from five classes: Dark Knight, Bow Master, Night Lord, Bishop, and Corsair, and enter Maple World suffering from amnesia. While searching for the reasons behind their memory loss, they find out the wildlife has gone crazy -- a symptom of the ongoing fight between good and evil. Of course, players will complete missions by fighting monsters, which grants players experience points (XP), items, and currency to upgrade their skills, armor, and weapons. To earn the best rewards, players join guilds and enter special events, fighting alongside other players to defeat the biggest monsters. Customization and commerce are also included here, and players can forge, fuse, buy, and trade items in order to create their own uniquely powerful heroes.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say Not yet rated
Kids say (1 ):

Fans of this role-playing franchise have been on edge waiting for the mobile version, and if they're OK with auto-play running their game, they're bound to enjoy it. Then again, considering the competitive nature of your average MapleStory fan, that's highly unlikely for MapleStory M players. Visually, MapleStory M is a credit to the series. It's cute and colorful, with fun music, sounds, and effects. Plus, the hundreds of weapons, armor pieces, and accessories promise hours of tinkering with your character's skills and looks. The simple storyline provides just enough motivation to keep you stepping through magic portals, and the cool background art makes it worth finding out what they lead to. Grouping is easy, and generous free play means nice long play sessions without spending any cash. (Then again, not buying that new magic robe or collection of cute koala bear pets could be too much to ask of any MMO fan.)

On the downside, the gameplay is highly repetitive. Missions consist solely of "kill so many of this," and "collect so much of that," which is likely why the development team decided to include auto-play. Though it's common enough in modern mobile games, the "no pain, all gain" of auto-play could be a big turn-off for old-school role-players. And true enough: What's the point of interactive entertainment if it's not interactive? In any case, auto-play is optional, so if you don't mind lots of repetition and can ignore the idea of sitting lower on the leaderboard than someone who lets the game play itself for hours on end, you're in for a reasonable amount of fun.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about violence in video games. Is the impact of the violence in MapleStory M affected by the cartoonish visuals of the game? Would it be intensified if the gameplay looked more realistic?

  • Should competitive games have an auto-play feature? Can a game be considered competitive if you don't actually need to actively command your character?

  • Do you think rewards are more worthwhile if you've worked for them? Why or why not?

App Details

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